Category: Solar PhotoVoltaics

New building totally covered in solar panels in Japan

Tokyo Institute of Technology has built a new building which is covered in solar panels.

Tokyo Institute of Technology is considered as a prestigious university the world over and in fact the best in Japan.The unveiling of its self sustaining building has enhanced its image for the eco conscious community.

The exterior of the Environment and Energy Innovation Building and also the roof is covered with 4500 panels. The capacity of those panels is about 650 kilowatts of  power.

The building has seven floors and two additional basement levels and because of the solar panels  it consumes half the power that a building of the same size would have consumed without solar installations.

The largest rooftop solar power in North America officially completed

It is known that New Jersey likes setting rooftop solar power records.

It started in 2009 when it opened the largest solar rooftop in North America (2.4 MW of capacity).After that in 2011 when Toys”R”Us got a 5.38-MW solar roof and again later in 2011 when a 9-MW solar roof was installed on a large Holt Logistics refrigerated warehouse, the Gloucester Marine Terminal.

This solar rooftop was finally completed this week.The solar rooftop project is called Riverside Renewable Energy and its costs were about $42 million, includes  27,526 photovoltaic rooftop solar panels and covers 1.1 million square feet.

Its construction started in June 2011 and was completed on budget and ahead of schedule.Riverside will give the equivalent of up to 80 percent of the Terminal’s power  demand.The system is expected to to balance out more than 8,100 tons of carbon dioxide,    around the same amount that would be balanced out by planting 400,000 trees or removing 1,200 cars from the road.

U.S. Rep. Robert Andrews affirmed that “The Riverside project is an outstanding example of how we can create jobs that move us towards cleaner, more efficient and cost-saving energy that doesn’t come from overseas” and “By partnering with the federal government, private industry is able to make strides that are good  for job creation and the economy right now, and also for a cleaner, healthier and more energy efficient future here in South Jersey and the country.”

New on the market: the T-Series Panels

Centrosolar Canada announced the release of the new photovoltaic modules: T-Series photovoltaic

Engineered in Europe and manufactured in Ontario it is designed for residential and also for commercial applications.It is designed for optimum capture of available sun to generate very high efficiency of power.

Centrosolar Canada’s T-Series is available in two versions: 60 cell and 72 cell. They are designed to rezist when it comes for harsh weather as snow, storm, ice, hail, high humidity and the intense thermal fluctuation associated with Canadian weather patterns.

T-Series Panels are made with high-quality materials, including top-branded EVA and high-transmittance glass for maximum durability and performance over the life of the installation. The modules are powered by monocrystalline and polycrystalline high-efficiency silicon cells, providing higher power output per module: up to 255Wp and 300Wp.

One of the benefits of the Centrosolar T-Series is its certification to withstand hail impact. wind and snow loads up to 5.4n/m.The Centrosolar T-series provides a tolerance rating of 0/+4.99W, which translates into more power out of the 255W and 300W module per DC wattage than other comparably rated modules.

The T-Series is also offered as part of Centrosolar Canada’s CentroPack System that provides installers with a turnkey system, pre-packaged with all the components  needed to install an approved residential or commercial roof-top PV system.

The CentroPack contains the T-Series panels, mounting systems, inverters and all the electrical and other hardware needed. Site plans, wiring diagrams and mechanical and structural details are also available as required.

How to build a solar powered camera

Everyone’s dream is a solar powered camera. The best way a camera has continuous electric supply is with solar panels, harnessing uninterrupted wireless data support.

Difficulty level: Moderate

Time Required: At least 5 to 6 hours

Resources required
1. Webcam
2. Wires
3. 12V rechargeable battery
4. Hammer
5. Drill
6. Screw and Screw driver
7. Solar Panel
8. Central hub/ Computer

Estimate cost: $100 to $500

Instructions

1. You can choose any wireless camera that you may find, powered by 12-volt battery.

2. An important criterion is the battery selection. You need to buy a long storage battery to make the operation continued in long wintery nights with reduced daylight. If the camera consumes  60 watts per day then you need to have at least 6 Amp-hours of backup from your 12 V battery.

3. The third step is to chose the solar panel. The power captured by solar panel will be used to recharge the battery. Buy the solar panel according to your light conditions. In open space with lot of sunlight hours, you can buy a solar panel of 5-10 W or you have to purchase a solar panel with high power capturing facilities.

4. Now you can start assembly the battery. You need to connect the  battery to the webcam. You can use the drill, hammer and screws to fix the whole assembly. If you are assembling it in rainforest, it is better to have solar panel mounted above the canopy of the forest. In ranches, a place above camera or anywhere inside your property is good enough as long as it is getting enough sunlight.

5. Next – mount the camera on either a tree or a pole with help of metal L brackets. You also need to mount the control box and battery in such a way that it do not get wet.

6. Connect the webcam wirelessly with your computer or central monitoring facility. When everything is ready, let the battery charge for day before the whole assembly starts working with your battery with limited charging.

Solar power in Abu Dhabi

The Court of HH Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, has been equipped with solar panels.

The installation of photovoltaic panels on the roof of the building was completed in record time by Gulf International Trading Group.

The installation on the roof of the building is hooked up to the Department of Electricity and Water Authority’s main generator.

This project further goes to prove the economic visions for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi 2030.

Solar powered car Bluetooth kit

You’ll no more need messy wire or cables and no need to recharge.

With the new Solar Powered car Bluetooth kit, all you need to do is sticking this device to the inside of your windshield and pair it to your mobile phone.

You now have the safest and most convenient way to talk and answer calls while driving.

If your phone has voice recognition you can even make calls by simply saying the contact’s name!

The Solar Powered Car Bluetooth Kit announces the caller name or number before you answer or reject it, making sure you don’t answer unwanted calls while driving!

This Solar Powered car Bluetooth doesn’t require batteries, thanks to eco friendly solar charger!

It has dimensions: 89mm Diameter x 45mm Depth and a Bluetooth Version 2.0.

You can buy it for just 20 euro.

Solar panels help the growth of coral reefs

Just like the rest of the environment around us the world’s coral reefs are in trouble, because of climate change and habitat destruction.

The researchers found a solution- to use electrified artificial reefs instead, called Biorocks.

Biorock start off as a Rebar skeleton structure or electrically-conductive wire mesh, called a Coral Ark, which it’s partially sunken or anchored into the seafloor with a solar panel floating on the surface above it, which provides a steady electrical current.

The electricity collected by the solar panels results in accretion coating the Ark with a natural concrete material very similar to that of clam shells.

With this, the structures can grow indefinitely—at a rate of 5cm annually—as precipitated materials add to the structure’s rigidity and will even repair themselves if damaged.

When these structures will solidify on the seafloor and will start more closely resemble natural reefs, they will begin to provide the same benefits of natural reefs which means a greater resistance to the incoming wave actions reduces the energy with which each wave hits the beach, allowing more suspended sand particles to be dropped on the beach.

World market for solar PV cells will double by 2020

According to South Korea’s Samsung SDI, the global market for solar photovoltaic cells will double by 2020, rising from 2010′s $30 billion to $70 billion.

Reuters reported early Wednesday, that the Falling prices and supportive government policies will drive the growth.

Chinese solar PV cell manufacturers will continue with aggressive overseas expansion plans the solar power industry out to 2013.

Germany and Italy, two leading EU solar power markets, have cut back on subsidies this year.

Although EU subsidies shrink in, Samsung SDI plans to aggressively expand its solar PV cell production from its current 150 MW to 3 GW by 2015, believing that its “super-efficient crystalline solar cells will differentiate” it from competitors’ products.

The company will invest 2.2 trillion won ( $2.05 million) into the business and expand into thin-film solar PV manufacturing as well.

Samsung intends to expand on US, Japanese and EU markets while considering emerging markets, such as China and India as well.

Samsung SDI acquired Samsung Electronics’ solar PV cell division for $149 million at the end of May.

A new solar academy is opened in Kenya

Three German PV companies have launched a solar academy in Nairobi.

It is a partnership between Energiebau Solarstromsysteme Gmbh, Schott Solar, Solar Technology and the German Company for International Cooperation.

The German Solar Academy opened with a one-week training activity, which took place in mid June.

About 40 participants from Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda were attended.

In addition to gaining knowledge on PV systems, including background information on the planning, installation, operation and maintenance of off-grid and grid-connected systems, the participants also visited the PV systems at the new UNEP headquarters.

Schott says that further training will be offered biannually.

400 new green jobs to Arizona

400 new green jobs in Arizona thanks to the giant 290-megawatt Agua Caliente Solar Power Project.

The new facility is sponsored by the solar giant NRG and will use two cutting edge technologies that improve the stability of power supply from the plant to the grid.

The two technologies are new to the solar industry, so their successful application in the Agua Caliente project could make them industry standards throughout the U.S.

The solar-giant NRG recently cancelled two nuclear power plants  planned for Texas, following the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

NRG is also the force behind the Department of Energy’s super-ambitious distributed-power solar project, called Project Amp who was announced earlier this summer, involves the installation of $1.4 billion worth of rooftop solar panels on hundreds of buildings, basically doubling U.S. solar capacity over 2010 levels.